Congratulations on your acceptance to Canisius College! As an international student, you will be in close contact with the staff of the International Student Programs Office. We are here to assist you during your stay at Canisius and in the United States.
Location
Canisius College is located on Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York near Niagara Falls with easy access to Toronto, Canada. Buffalo has a major airport with frequent flights from New York City and other major U.S. cities. For more information about life in Buffalo, NY, click here.
Climate
Buffalo is in the Eastern Time zone of the United States. The climate varies with the seasons. Temperatures during the winter are quite cold and often go below 0 degrees Celsius. Summers are warm and often humid; temperatures range from 20 - 28 degrees Celsius. The spring and fall seasons are pleasant and moderate.
Clothing
Students at Canisius dress very casually; business suits and dresses are not generally worn to classes or to informal social occasions and activities. Since our temperatures vary so widely during the year, students require a wide variety of clothing. It is especially important to have warm clothing for winter months; winter coats, hats, gloves and boots are essential. You may wish to purchase these items after you arrive in the United States but you will need to bring at least a winter coat if you are arriving in the United States for the winter semester. Lightweight clothing is essential for summer.
Residence Life (click here for housing forms)
As a freshman, you will live in one of our three residence halls, Bosch, Frisch, or Eastwood Hall. You can also expect to have a roommate sharing your living space in the residence hall. You will be required to purchase a full meal plan for your first semester. Once you complete your freshman year, you will have more of a selection in on-campus housing. Townhouses, apartments, and other college-owned housing are adjacent to the Canisius campus.
The rooms are furnished with window blinds, beds and mattresses, desks, desk chairs, dressers and closets. Washing machines and dryers are located in the residence halls and apartments. Because of the demand for college residence space, especially in the fall semester, there are virtually no single rooms available.
Residence hall regulations permit students to live in their housing only during academic periods. All students wishing to stay during recess times and summer will incur a fee and must notify the Office of Residence Life. For summer housing information and fees click here.
Intercultural Living Center at Campion Hall
MISSION
The mission of the Intercultural Living Center is to build a community that celebrates, explores, and recognizes cultural traditions and heritages from intellectual, interpersonal, and individual perspectives.
GOAL
The goal of the ILC is to create an environment where American students and international students can experience new cultures. In some cases American residents may share a room or suite with an incoming/returning international student. Members of the intercultural residence participate in a variety of social and educational activities which enhance their overall Canisius experience and prepare them for the global marketplace.
Dugan Hall
Dugan Hall is a new residence hall opened in fall 2005. It is located on-campus and accomodates freshmen and sophomore students. To find out more about this hall, click here.
If you wish to reside in our residence halls, please fill out the residence hall application and send it to the Office of Residence Life at Canisius as soon as possible to insure you have a place. Please note that sheets, towels and blankets are not provided unless you are a one semester exchange student. If you do not wish to bring these items from home, the Office of International Student Programs can arrange to have them made available to you on a temporary basis until you get settled here.
Health Forms and Immunizations
Make sure you have your home physician complete the health history form, indicating the dates (month, day and year) of all your immunizations. If you do not have all your immunizations prior to your arrival at Canisius, you will not be allowed to register for classes until you are immunized in Buffalo.
New York State requires all college students to be protected against measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis. Students who do not comply with immunization requirements are not allowed to attend class.
To learn about all the immunization requirements and to print the form, click here.
Health Insurance for International Students
All students on visas are required to purchase a special Canisius insurance policy for international students. All international students at Canisius College must purchase this insurance policy. Do not purchase your own insurance because you will be required to buy the Canisius International Student Insurance.
You will be billed for the health insurance along with your tuition, room and board charges after you have registered for classes.
To read about the plan, costs, benefits, click here (Adobe Acrobat PDF).
Students may wish to purchase health insurance for a spouse or child. This plan allows students to enroll dependents. To enroll a spouse or child, complete the enrollment form (click here for information, Adobe Acrobat PDF) and send the form and check payment to the Allen J. Flood Company using the address found on the form. Do not submit a check for dependent insurance to Canisius College .
Identification cards, which serve as proof of health insurance, are available in the Office of Internaitonal Student Programs. All international students must have an identification card and should carry it with them while at school.
International Student Orientation
Our week-long mandatory orientation for all new international students will be held from August 18-22, 2008. Classes are scheduled to begin on August 25, 2008. You must arrive on August 17, 2008. Please let us know your travel information so that we can arrange to meet you at the Buffalo airport. It is very important that you plan ahead and arrive on that exact date since it is required that you attend the international student orientation that begins on August 18, 2008. If you arrive before that date, you will be responsible for transportation from the Buffalo airport and your own housing in a local hotel. You will be charged a $150.00 orientation fee, which will cover meals, housing and excursions during that week.
Banking
There are several banks near Canisius and an automatic banking machine on campus which allows students to deposit and withdraw funds from their account. Remember that many banks will not allow you to draw funds from your account until your bank draft clears your bank. Since this process can take several weeks, you should be prepared with travelers checks for the first few weeks or an ATM card from your home bank. If you deposit travelers checks into your account, you can have immediate access to that amount. As part of international student orientation, you will have the opportunity to meet and set up accounts with a representative from M&T bank.